May 31, 2022
Making up lost time
Back on plan
THE PLAN FOR TODAY was to cover the 37 miles or so between Greenbrier State Park in Maryland and Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania. But, since yesterday's ride ended short of the objective, I first had to get up to what had been planned as the day's starting line. In the end, that didn't quite happen. Instead of tackling the big climb I didn't do yesterday I rode into Boonsboro proper and had breakfast.
While there, I had RWGPS plan a new route to Caledonia SP and followed that. It featured much less climbing than the original plan, the lack of which I have come to regard as a virtue.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Breakfast was at the Mini Mart and Diner, recommended by Keith the fireman. This is a one-off establishment owned and run by Michelle, a woman with drive, ambition, and a dream. Since I was the only customer in the place, we had plenty of time to visit. She had been a martial arts fighter with a promising future, she said, until a cheap shot delivered by an opponent ruined the ACL in one knee.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
So now she's working on building her business, despite having opened just six months before COVID broke out. I expect she had some lean times, but she seems determined to make a go of it.
She runs a homey, welcoming place. Her sister came by and the two of them started some sort of board game at the next table to mine while I ate. It's that sort of place. It's also a place where compliance with building codes and aesthetic considerations have taken a back seat, at least temporarily, to getting on with life.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
It was tempting to sit and work on my journal for an hour or two, on the premise that I'd still have plenty of time to complete the 38 miles to the park. But if I'd learned anything from yesterday, it was that heat + hills = very slow Keith. So, it was time to get back on the road. Journals can wait.
Passing through Hagerstown I elected to take a rest break in a city park. There was a stream burbling below the waist-high stone wall; although it was peaceful and low at the moment, I suspect that it can turn into a deep raging torrent all too quickly.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
From Hagerstown onward the day was basically an ongoing, gradually-slowing slog to the park. The route rose and fell, rose again, fell away slightly less than it rose, over and over. Shade breaks became more frequent and lasted longer.
Shortly before entering Pennsylvania I found another small roadside ice cream stand, and took full advantage. About the time I hit the state line, a fellow out for a day ride caught and passed me: "Welcome to the area! Have a great ride!" he called out. Moments later I saw him pull a U turn and come back to me. "It seemed rude", he explained, "to just leave you like that. I thought you'd like a few minutes of company and someone other than yourself to talk to."
Derek lives not too far away and knows the area intimately. Although he gave me information on what to expect and where I would be routed, it was all rather lost on me as I am unfamiliar with the place and road names. Still, I appreciated the gesture.
Back on my own, I reverted to ride a little, rest a little, repeat. The "ride a little" diminished steadily, from a couple miles to a mile to half a mile, as the heat took its toll and I gradually ran out of energy and the will to persist. At the same time, the "rest a little" began to stretch in the opposite direction: not a promising combination.
I've come to realize that not only have I lost any capacity for short-term "surges" such as short steep rises or powering my way up longer, gentler inclines, I also no longer recover so easily or quickly when things ease off as I did three decades ago. Every hill, rise, or incline drained away a little more of my vitality and moved the Energy Remaining needle inexorably closer to ZERO.
Still, there were occasional sights to be seen and enjoyed. Among them was The Hip Gypsy, a quirky little place in what was once a school.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
With about 14 miles left to go, I stopped at a small local grocery store and reloaded all my beverage containers. I had left the bike in the sun, which always causes the temperature reading on the GPS to spike; when I came out it read 114. HOT!
I also discovered that I had bought lemon-flavored sparkling water rather than flat, which produces interesting results when poured into a CamelBak on a hot day. Let's just say it didn't take a lot of effort to get a mouthful of water for the next couple hours.
RWGPS had routed me along a few miles of US 30, a busy two-lane secondary highway on the approach to the park. It had a decent shoulder, though, so although not especially relaxing and definitely not scenic, it wasn't a problem from a safety perspective.
Just a mile or so from the park entrance I passed a fellow standing on the side of the road having a smoke. "Going cross country?" he asked. It would have been rude not to stop, plus of course I had been riding nonstop for at least a half mile and needed a break, so I pulled up for a moment's conversation.
It turned out he's in the middle of a traverse of the Appalachian Trail, which crosses US 30 just down the road, and was staying the night at a hostel a hundred yards from where we stood. The hostel is operated by a religious organization and bans smoking on the grounds, so he was complying by moving farther down the road. After a few moments' conversation I needed to get moving again, so we parted with mutual well-wishes.
Finally arriving at Caledonia State Park around 4:30 or 5:00 I was met with the final indignity of the day: a short-but-nasty hill (12 percent? 14? It looked and felt like 75 percent; the summit of Everest isn't that difficult and steep) from the park entrance to the camping area. I did the reasonable thing: I got off and pushed.
Even that nearly proved beyond my capacity, so much so that a park ranger stopped and offered to help. At that point, though, I was almost at a point where the slope backed off to a manageable number, so I was good to go.
The campsite itself was fairly private and well-shaded. I'd chosen it based on three factors: shade, distance from other reserved sites, and proximity to a water spigot. Unhappily the water spigot has been removed but the bathhouse / restrooms were just a bit further so it was no problem.
Dinner was a plate of couscous, embellished with raisins. Unhappily, between that generous serving of carbs and the various junk food snacks I'd had during the day, not to mention the Gatorade I'd been drinking, I think I had too many carbs and not enough protein and vegetables in my stomach. I felt bloated and uncomfortable pretty much all night.
The night was quiet, though, and it was pretty dark in the tent so sleep came easily.
Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 104 miles (167 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
2 years ago